


Gifts

by author_abz



Category: iCarly
Genre: F/M, Future Fic, Gen, Sam is a Drake Bell fangirl, future kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-02-25
Updated: 2009-02-25
Packaged: 2017-12-04 11:12:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/710162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/author_abz/pseuds/author_abz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A history of sorts. The Christmases Sam and Spencer have spent together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gifts

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the tweensanta fic exchange on livejournal, where I wrote this for dienger with the prompt: Sam/Spencer exchanging gifts.

Christmas the year Carly met Sam was interesting. Spencer and Carly were still getting used to the idea and practice of Christmas by themselves, and the fact that Sam showed up virtually unannounced at their loft Christmas Eve, while surprising, was neither weird nor normal. It would be years before Spencer realized that the cookie decorating and tree trimming went on a lot smoother that year because of Sam. Still, he couldn't help being caught off guard when Sam asked, "So, what did you get me?"

Carly went and pulled the gift she got for Sam from under the tree, but she continued to look at Spencer, face expectant. "Uhmm," he looked around the room for inspiration, "What do you want for Christmas Eve dinner? Your pick."

Sam's face lit up at the thought, giving Spencer a glowing feeling, suddenly okay with the fact he hadn't thought of what to fix before-hand.

\---

It was three years later before Spencer thought to ask Sam, "So – what did you get  _me_?"

Sam is taken aback by the question, staring at him dumbly for a second. Before his face can pass for smug though, she answers confidently, "Me bein' here is my present for you, Spence."

He laughs. He laughs long and hard and loud. Sam looks pleased with herself and right as Spencer is about to get a little upset and hurt, he realizes how old Sam is, and in conjunction with her so-called gift, Spencer is so tickled pink that he forgets all about not receiving a real gift.

A few hours later as Spencer is clearing the table and Sam and Carly are obsessing over the gift Carly opened a day early, it dawns on Spencer that Sam called him "Spence." He smiles, thinking that he could probably count on one hand the number of people who have ever called him Spence. He quickly does so, and lets out a happy laugh: Sam is number four.

\---

As Spencer puts the finishing touches on his spaghetti taco feast, he watches Sam's face light up explosively as she un-wraps the actual present he got her. The three of them sit down for dinner shortly thereafter, and Spencer decides to ask, "So, what did you get me?"

Carly laughs and tells him he'll find out tomorrow, but Sam gets up out of her chair and hugs his torso tightly. She mumbles into his side, "A hug. I got you a hug."

Spencer laughs lightly and hugs her back, glad his gut was right in choosing the Drake Bell CD as Sam's present. When she lets go very awkwardly a little while later, Spencer can't help but think that a hug, the complete shutdown of her violent defenses, is actually the perfect gift he could get from Sam.

\---

Freddie joins the Christmas Eve celebration in the Shay loft this year. Sam is surprisingly civil to him, despite his intrusion on the sacred Shay-Sam tradition of Christmas Eve. Still, she manages a satisfied smirk when Carly explains to Freddie as though he were a five-year-old why Spencer is cooking chili and glazing a ham.

"It's what Sam chose."

"Well why does Sam get to choose what  _everyone_  has for dinner?"

And Sam is very satisfied when Spencer cuts in, "She just  _does_. So deal with it or you don't get anything."

Later, after dinner, Spencer and Sam both gasp in surprise when they open presents. There is a "How did you know?" and "Just what I wanted!" on both sides, and Carly and Freddie start their own strand of conversation while the two chatter excitedly about their tiny tool kit and quick fix recipe book.

Before Sam makes it out the door for the last bus available to get home, she hugs Spencer. She doesn't say anything, just clings tightly to his frame, burying her face into the fabric of his sweater, and he closes his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her in his arms. She lets go a few moments later, and neither says a word. Watching as she drags several bags out behind her though, Spencer thinks that once a year is better than not at all.

\---

It's midnight Christmas Eve, and Sam and Spencer are trying to be extremely quiet. It took two months to convince Carly and then Sam's mother that it would be a good idea for Sam to spend Christmas Eve night at the Shay loft. After so much effort, they are not about to ruin it all by waking Carly. It was really the only part of Christmas or even New Year's that they would have alone together, and they needed to make the most of it.

After a hushed dispute, Sam gives in and the two of them settle in to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" on TV. Spencer's figure is spread out on the couch, with Sam in his arms, and a blanket over them both. For over two hours they lay like that, whispering to each other and stealing kisses when the movie gets dull. Then Spencer reaches behind him, "Merry Christmas." He puts a small present in front of Sam and holds tightly onto her again. She leans back into him, tearing the paper away eagerly.

She opens the box quickly, then stops. "What is it?"

"A necklace."

She looked again at the silver shining up at her, and started to smile. It was a roughly in the shape of a heart, but lining the edges were at least four smaller symbols. Little things she was sure only she and Spencer understood the importance of: a banana, a wrench, and she thought she could make out a spoon. Still, she picked it up, confused, "Where's the – "

Looking back at Spencer she saw he held the rest of the necklace in his free hand. Two chains dangled from his fingers. "This one," he wiggled his ring finger, "is for now. No one has to know that you're wearing my heart." Then he waved his index finger back and forth, swaying the shorter of the two silver chains. "This one you can use… when you want." He didn't have to say what it really meant, she knew it was for when they went public. When she made up her mind one way or the other, when she decided she'd hid their relationship from Carly for long enough – that's what the shorter chain was for.

She took the long chain from his fingers and slipped the pendant onto it, promptly slipping it over her head. "Thank you, Spencer." She turned around completely and kissed him, simultaneously taking the second chain from his hand and moving it to the coffee table.

"So what did you get me?" Sam didn't say anything, simply moving so that her face was pressed into Spencer's neck. After a few seconds of silence Spencer added softly, "It's cool if you didn't… I know there's one under the tree, I was just… "

Sam shook her head under his chin, mouthing 'No', and pulled away to whisper, "No, I – " and then moved down to bury her face in his chest. Spencer just watched, amused, as she wrapped her arms tightly around him and sighed deeply a few times, her face scrunching up, until she looked up at him. "I couldn't think of anything to get you. And after I bought Carly's gift I didn't have any money left anyway." She took another deep breath from his chest before she looked up at him again. "You get me for Christmas."

Spencer smiled down at her, threading his fingers through the hair framing her face, "So you finally admit to being my  _girlfriend_ , huh?" She gave him a small glare and he smiled more and went on, "I love you as a present." He paused, hand at her temple, "I love you, Sam."

She scooted up his torso a little bit, stretching to kiss him lightly, "I love you too, Spence." After another pause, she sat up straight and elaborated, "But that's not what I meant. I'm giving me to you. For Christmas." Spencer gave her a puzzled look, half-wondering if she was talking about what he thought she was talking about, and the other half still had no clue whatsoever. To answer him, Sam leaned down, kissing him deeply.

"Oh," Spencer mumbled as Sam pulled back lightly. Mentally, he pushed down one of the remaining wisps of guilt floating in his mind, seeing Sam above him, smiling happily. "Are you sure?"

She nodded, kissing him again. "I want you to have… me."

Spencer grinned, "Okay," he swept her hair out of her face and placed a chaste kiss on her lips before standing up, Sam in his arms, taking them back to his room.

\---

"I can't believe you didn't get each other anything for Christmas. That's so lame."

"It's not lame. It's  _smart_."

"Spencer, what kind of jank idea did you put in her head?"

He tossed a crumpled up wrapping paper ball at his sister's head. "Carly, weddings are expensive. And since you – "

"And the rest of the world," Sam piped in, helpfully.

"won't let us elope or just go down to the courthouse…"

"C'mon, Spencer – you know how many people would kill you if you and Sam eloped!"

Spencer shook his head, amused, as Freddie piped in, "Yeah, and you would be the first person to do him in, Carly."

"It's my  _brother_  and my  _best friend_. I think I have some say!"

Carly was pouting and about to argue more in response to the looks both Sam and Freddie were giving her, but Spencer cut in quickly. "Yeah, Carly, we know. We agree. But  _we_  decided to use gift money to pay for things like rings and – well, that's all  _this_  money was used for – but our rings cost a lot."

"I still can't believe Sam is okay with not getting a present from you, Spencer."

"No, talking about me like I'm not in the room is totally okay, thanks for asking."

Carly managed a look that said, 'Very funny' to Sam before she said to her brother, "I'm just sayin'."

"We never said we didn't give each other a present."

Carly turned around, incredulous, "Yes, Sam – you did."

"We just said we weren't buying anything."

Carly looked back and forth between Sam's smirk and Spencer's embarrassed, pink expression, but before she managed to voice her confusion, Freddie cut in with, "EW."

Carly spun to face her boyfriend, "What?"

"Ew." Sam glared at Freddie, and Spencer stopped avoiding eye contact to roll his eyes at Freddie. "Please tell me that's not why you wanted to get married so fast."

Carly's brow was still creased, confused, "Freddie, what are you talking about?"

"Just so it would be okay if you got pregnant?" He asked, oblivious to Carly, making his disgust clear.

"No."

"Yes."

"What? Sam!"

Spencer stood up, as though he was breaking up a fight, "Okay, so maybe it was part of the reason why we wanted to get married so fast. But it was not the  _only_  reason, and it's not the  _main_  reason. Anyway – we are waiting, and we didn't get each other presents so we could save money, so can we just drop it?" No one said anything, and he sighed, relieved. Much more upbeat, he continued, "Okay, who wants breakfast?"

\---

_Thwap._

_Thwap._

_Thwap._

"I think it's Holly's turn to open again," Carly commented, leaning happily back into Freddie.

He wound his arms around her, commenting dryly, "Oooh, yay." He closed his eyes, "Tell me when she actually unwraps it."

 _Thwap. Thwap. Thwap thwap._ Carly threw her arm back towards Freddie's head, hitting him gently. Holly saw this, and hit the present in front of her quicker, squealing in laughter.  _Thwap thwap thwap thwap thwap._

Unfazed, Freddie added, "Sam, can you please just open it for her, and give her the present?"

Sam bounced Holly a little bit on her knee in time to the smacking on the small box that was Holly's present. "I dunno, she's goin' at it pretty good, I think." She swung her head around in front of her daughter, "Aren't you? Yees," she nodded, "you are."

Holly made a laughing, yelling noise, using both of her hands to hit the present in front of her excitedly. Spencer, sitting across the floor from them, grinned widely, but told his wife, "Yeah, Holly's just like her mom," he chuckled, "vicious. We know. But maybe you could help her rip the paper instead of pound it?"

Sam tousled what little hair was on her daughter's head, nodding. She took Holly's hands in her own and placed them in the little folds of the paper where she could tear. Once her hands tore off one piece, she delighted in tearing a similar strip with her other hand, and soon she had the entire top's wrapping off, a strip of red wrapping paper in each hand. Spencer had inched his way toward them on the floor, and was taking the strips Holly was holding out of her hands slowly, crumpling them up in his hand.

Meanwhile, Sam had her baby's hands in her own, opening the box, "Now what did Daddy get you?" Holly seemed more concerned with the box lid she managed to hold in her hands, but Sam failed to notice as she reached inside the box. She gasped in a way used most with children and sarcasm, excitedly saying, "Look what it is, Holly! Daddy got you a …" she pulled the cloth doll out of the box completely, "dolly!"

Holly, for all the excitement, simply stared blankly at the doll, box top still in hand. Sam danced the doll around a little in mid-air, and Holly mimicked, bouncing where she sat, her arms moving the white cardboard up and down quickly. After a second, Spencer took the box forcefully, and before her baby started crying, Sam put the doll in her hands. Looking at it a second, Holly seemed to decide the gift was an okay substitution, and bounced with it a few times before sticking it in her mouth.

Sam and Spencer looked up at each other a second, smiling, before Carly announced, bored, "Sam – your turn." She looked up from more baby bouncing to grab the small box Spencer was handing her.

"From… you," she shifted Holly around so could hold her with one arm and her lap as she opened the box. Holly, meanwhile, decided she didn't like the sitting position, and tried to wrestle her way out of her hold. "It's… paper. Um, thanks babe."

Spencer rolled his eyes, "It's  _inside_  the paper."

Sam unfolded the piece of paper and let out a small gasp, letting her arm loose from around Holly's mid-section, granting her freedom to roam the floor, dolly in mouth. "Oh – Spence, are these - ? Oh my god - Drake Bell concert tickets?!"

"Keep looking."

Sam was still looking at the tickets, gripping them tightly as if they were going to disappear, "Wow – these, oh my god –  _Drake Bell_."

Grinning toothily, Spencer reached forward and lifted up the other tissue paper in the box, taking a pass encased in plastic, and waving it in front of Sam's face. "There's mooooore."

Holly, who had been wobbling toward Carly, tumbled into her arms when Sam screamed loudly. "NO WAY!!!" She took the backstage passes from his hands and without warning jumped on him. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him eagerly. "Okay, I give up, you win. We can have another baby." Spencer's smirk, and whatever remark he was planning, was cut off as she kissed him again.

Freddie, disgusted with Sam's enthusiasm, looked to Carly, who is now making faces at her niece. "What're you doing?"

"Holding my baby niece," she bounced her in midair again, making her laugh and drop her doll. "Why?"

Freddie felt a strange tugging at his heart, watching Carly. Then Holly picked up her doll again, and hit him repeatedly on the head with it. "Nothing," he laughed a little, "nothing."


End file.
